Morning journal and courier., 1887-05-06
BUILDING AND THE sTR1KEs.

BUILDING AND THE STRIKES. The Carpenters Strike-About ThIr-
 ty Union Men Abandon the Union
 and Return to Work Building
 Work Proceeding About as Usual
 -The Plumbers StrIke-TaIk on
 Tine Streets.
 Prominent builders said yesterday, in re- sponse to inquiries, that despite the carpen- ters' strike all the builders were proceeding with the contracts they have in hand about as if nothing had happened. When asked if this could be so they replied that it was so, that the strike had but momentary effect in checking work in hand, but in no case had any job of work been suspended. They estimated the number of carpenters out on strike at not over 150, and probably not more than 12e, whiia there were about 400 car penters in this city. There was, however, a bad effect apparent in building operations. This bad effect was to be seen in the fewer building contracts in hand Ever since Jan uary 1st the builders had had hanging over them the menace of a strike provided they did not do thus and so The demand in low their union employees to dictate to them whom they should or should not hire. It was not a question of hours; it was not 8 question of wages. It was demand by the union men that none but union men should be en- men should after May 1st be discharged. This was in short the demand. Twice, said the employers, we yielded to the demands made. We gave them 9 hours for a days work. Then we gave them 10 hours pay for hours work, and now they go further and dictate the discharge of all our workmen who don't happen to think as they do. Of course this last demand we can't accede to. It would be dishonorable, it would be yielding our man. hood to accede. Many of our non-union men are among the best men-best workmen and the best to get along with. They are among the most reliable, not given to spend ing their time in chinning and in talking.
 The bosses seen yesterday said that they considered the carpenters strike here as futile and dead. It certainly was ineffective as far as affecting the completion of pending jobs, and besides that, it is fact that about thirty of the union men who went out on strike had seen that the strike was foolish one and not at all likely to win and had re- turned to work and abandoned the union. But one thing you can put down as fact that there is far less building work being done in town than there would have been had there been no threatenings of a strike. This impending danger of a strike made it impossible for us builders to figure on job with any certainty. We are obliged to give two prices; one price, the lowest, based on there being no strike, higher, based on the contingency of the occurrence of a strike; or else we had to tell persons who wished us to figure on job that our figure would be ten per cent. higher if strike occurred. Of course the natural tendency of all this was to dis courage building operations. Every builder knows personally of cases where men were deterred from having buildings erected be- cause they saw that prices were likely to be higher and because there were labor troubles in the air. This has therefore resulted in there being a stagnant state of building operations There is less work for men to do and that accounts for our being able to go right along with our contracts the same as if no strike had come. A number of us who were temporarily crippled have hired new men from out of town and all that the strikers will gain from their strike will be to have less work, less money to pay grocers' bills and house rent, etc., and assess ments to pay for hiring halls in which to do their talking. The employers said tb at they were united in their determination not to yield, and only one boss, ,who hires four men and lives on East street, had given in.
 Members of the Carpenters union oisclaim that the strike is a failure, and say that they are successful in some cases in heading off carpenters from out of town from coming here to work, by meeting them through a committee at the depot and discouraging them from engaging in labor here. They say that many of their number have taken small jobs of work on their own hook, and are thus earning money independently of what is paid out to help the strike from the labor union.
 The boss plumbers say that they have all KINorrr the strike, and the boss painters say the same.
 A report arose that work had been stopped on the new buildings which are being erected for the Peck Bros. on Chestnut street be- cause of lack of carpenters. Work was, however, suspended briefly 10 await the ar- rival of lumber and when it came work went on as before.
 The Carpenters union held another pro- tracted meeting in their room in Boerdman building yesterday. There was large at- tendance. The members were reticent about divulging what transpired. They gave out, however, that they were satisfied with the state of affairs and said from the appearance of things the strike would be long one. According to claims made the striking car penters have taken twenty contracts to erect houses and barns and sixty have work on odd jobs.
 STRIKE AT THE CONNECTICUT RIVER LUMBER
 MILL.
 The strike at the Connecticut river lumber mill at Holyoke still continues, the men re- maining firm in their demand for ten hours. A large crowd gathered at the mill Tuesday night when the Frenchmen who had been engaged to take the places of some of the strikers came in, but Chief Whitcomb sent up a squad of policemen and order was main tained. Some of the new hands took the next train home as soon as they understood the situation and the strikers raised money enough to send the others away.
 THE WATERBURY CARPENTERS.
 WATERBURY, Conn.,, May 5.-The three hundred carpenters still out here. Neither will make the least concession and both sides are holding secret meetings and keeping their business to themselves. There is considerable talk of co operative shop in which all the strikers will have an inter est.
 High Rock Grove.
 High Rock Grove will continue this year